Front Matter

The only official reprint authorized by The Royal Society of London Printed in U.S.A. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS, GIVING SOME ACCOUNT OF THE Present Undertakings, Studies, and Labours, OF THE INGENIOUS, IN MANY Considerable Parts of the WORLD. VOL. LVIII. For the Year 1768. LONDON: Printed for L. DAVIS and C. REYMERs, Printers to the ROYAL SOCIETY, against Gray's-Inn Gate, in Holbourn. M.DCC.LXIX. ADVERTISEMENT. The Committee appointed by the Royal Society to direct the publication of the Philosophical Transactions, take this opportunity to acquaint the public, that it fully appears, as well from the council-books and journals of the Society, as from repeated declarations, which have been made in several former Transactions, that the printing of them was always, from time to time, the single act of the respective Secretaries, till the Forty-seventh Volume. And this information was thought the more necessary, not only as it has been the common opinion, that they were published by the authority, and under the direction, of the Society itself; but also, because several authors, both at home and abroad, have in their writings called them the Transactions of the Royal Society. Whereas in truth the Society, as a body, never did interest themselves any further in their publication, than by occasionally recommending the revival of them to some of their secretaries, when, from the particular circumstances of their affairs, the Transactions had happened for any length of time to be intermitted. And this seems principally to have been done with a view to satisfy the public, that their usual meetings were then continued for the improvement of knowledge, and benefit of mankind, the great ends of their first institution by the Royal Charters, and which they have ever since steadily pursued. But the Society being of late years greatly enlarged, and their communications more numerous, it was thought adviseable, that a Committee of their Members should be appointed to reconsider the papers read before them, and select out of them such, as they ADVERTISEMENT. should judge most proper for publication in the future Transactions; which was accordingly done upon the 26th of March 1752. And the grounds of their choice are, and will continue to be, the importance or singularity of the subjects, or the advantageous manner of treating them; without pretending to answer for the certainty of the facts, or propriety of the reasonings, contained in the several papers so published, which must still rest on the credit or judgment of their respective authors. It is likewise necessary on this occasion to remark, that it is an established rule of the Society, to which they will always adhere, never to give their opinion, as a body, upon any subject, either of nature or art, that comes before them. And therefore the thanks, which are frequently proposed from the chair, to be given to the authors of such papers, as are read at their accustomed meetings, or to the persons, through whose hands they receive them, are to be considered in no other light, than as a matter of civility, in return for the respect shewn to the Society by those communications. The like also is to be said with regard to the several projects, inventions, and curiosities of various kinds, which are often exhibited to the Society; the authors whereof, or those who exhibit them, frequently take the liberty to report, and even to certify in the public newspapers, that they have met with the highest applause and approbation. And therefore it is hoped, that no regard will hereafter be paid to such reports, and public notices; which in some instances have been too lightly credited, to the dishonour of the Society. CONTENTS TO VOL. LVIII. I. An Account of the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in 1767: In a Letter to the Earl of Morton, President of the Royal Society, from the Honourable William Hamilton, His Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary at Naples. p. 1. II. Extract of a Letter, dated Vienna, April 4, 1767, from Father Joseph Liesganig, Jesuit, to Dr. Bevis, F.R.S. containing a short Account of the Measurement of three Degrees of Latitude under the Meridian of Vienna. p. 15. III. An Essay on the Force of Percussion, by William Richardson, M.D. Communicated by William Heberden, M.D. F.R.S. p. 17. IV. An Essay on the Connexion between the Parallaxes of the Sun and Moon; their Densities; and their disturbing Forces on the Ocean: By Patrick Murdoch, M.D. F.R.S. p. 24. V. Obser- V. Observations on the Bones, commonly supposed to be Elephants Bones, which have been found near the River Ohio, in America: By William Hunter, M. D. F. R. S. p. 34. VI. Observations made on the Islands of Saint John and Cape Breton, to ascertain the Longitude and Latitude of those Places, agreeable to the Orders and Instructions of the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations: By Captain Holland, Surveyor General in Canada, and his Assistants. Communicated by Richard Brockleby, M. D. F. R. S. p. 46. VII. A Note concerning the Cold of 1740, and of this Year: By J. Bevis, M. D. F. R. S. p. 54. VIII. Observations on the same Subject, by Mr. James Short, F. R. S. p. 55. IX. An Investigation of the Difference between the present Temperature of the Air in Italy, and some other Countries, and what it was seventeen Centuries ago: In a Letter to William Watson, M. D. F. R. S. by the Honourable Daines Barrington, F. R. S. p. 58. X. An Account of Rings consisting of all the Prismatic Colours, made by Electrical Explosions, on the Surface of Pieces of Metal: By Joseph Priestley, LL. D. F. R. S. p. 68. XI. A Letter from John Ellis, Esquire, F. R. S. to the President, on the Success of his Experiments for preserving Acorns for a whole Year without planting them, so as to be in a State fit for Vegetation, with a View to bring over some of the most valuable Seeds from the East Indies, to plant for the Benefit of our American Colonies. p. 75. XII. A XII. A Letter from Dr. Donald Monro, F. R. S. to Mathew Maty, Secr. R. S. inclosing one from Mr. Farley of Antigua, on the good Effects of the Quassii Root in some Fevers. p. 80. XIII. Meteorological Observations for 1767, made at Carlisle, Bridgwater, and Ludgvan; and communicated by the Bishop of Carlisle, F. R. S. p. 83. XIV. Account of the different Species of the Birds called Pinguins: By Thomas Pennant, Esquire, F. R. S. p. 91. XV. The Application of Dr. Saunderson's Theorem for solving unlimited Equations, to a curious Question in Chronology: By Mr. James Horsefall, F. R. S. p. 100. XVI. A Determination of the Solar Parallax attempted, by a peculiar Method, from the Observations of the late Transit of Venus: By Andrew Planman, Professor of Natural Philosophy in the University of Aböa, and Member of the Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, together with a Letter from him to Mr. James Short, F. R. S. p. 107. XVII. A short Account of the Manner of inoculating the Small Pox, on the Coast of Barbary, and at Bengal, in the East Indies, extracted from a Memoir written in Dutch by the Rev. M. Chais, at the Hague: By M. Maty, M. D. Sec. R. S. p. 128. XVIII. Croton Spicatum, nova Plantæ Species ex America, quam Descriptione et Icone illustravit Petrus Jonas Bergius, M. D. Hist. Nat. et Pharm. Prof. Stockh. R. Colleg. Med. Assessor, Reg. Acad. Scient. Stockh. Membr. p. 132. XIX. Observations on the Barometer and Thermometer, and Account of the whole Rain in every Month of the Year Year 1767, taken at the Royal Hospital near Plymouth: By William Farr, M. D. Transmitted to William Watson, M. D. F. R. S. p. 136. XX. An Account of Inoculation in Arabia, in a Letter from Dr. Patrick Russell, Physician at Aleppo, to Alexander Russell, M. D. F. R. S. preceded by a Letter from Dr. Al. Russell, to the Earl of Morton, P. R. S. p. 140. XXI. Part of a Letter from Dr. Wolfe, at Warsaw, to Henry Baker, Esquire, F. R. S. Communicated by Mr. Baker. p. 151. XXII. Extract of a Letter from Mr. Peter Wargentin, Secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Stockholm, and F. R. S. dated February 23, 1768, to the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne, B. D. F. R. S. Astronomer Royal. p. 152. XXIII. Introduction to two Papers of Mr. John Smeaton, F. R. S. by the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne, B. D. F. R. S. Astronomer Royal. p. 154. XXIV. A Discourse concerning the Menstrual Parallax, arising from the mutual Gravitation of the Earth and Moon; its Influence on the Observations of the Sun and Planets; with a Method of observing it: By J. Smeaton, F. R. S. p. 156. XXV. Description of a new Method of observing the Heavenly Bodies out of the Meridian: By J. Smeaton, F. R. S. p. 170. XXVI. A Specimen of a new Method of comparing Curvilineal Areas; by which many such Areas may be compared, as have not yet appeared to be comparable by any other Method: By John Landen, F. R. S. p. 174. XXVII. Expe- CONTENTS. XXVII. Experiments and Observations upon a blue Substance, found in a Peat-moss in Scotland: By Sylvester Douglas, Esq; p. 181. XXVIII. Two Medical Observations by Dr. Joseph Benevuti, Physician at Lucca; communicated to the late President of the Royal Society, by Dr. Ch. Allioni, of Turin, F. R. S. and translated from the Latin by Daniel Peter Layard, M. D. Physician to her Royal Highness the Princess Dowager of Wales, Member of the Royal College of Physicians in London, and of the Royal Societies of London and Gottingen. p. 189. XXIX. An Account of a particular Species of Cameleon: By James Parsons, M. D. F. R. S. p. 192. XXX. A Letter from J. A. Rizzi Zannoni, Member of the Academy of Sciences at Gottingen, and Geographer to his Sicilian Majesty, to the late Earl of Morton, Pr. R. S. containing several Astronomical Observations, made in several Parts of the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily; translated from the French, by Mathew Maty, M. D. Sec. R. S. p. 196. XXXI. An Account of some Experiments, by Mr. Miller of Cambridge, on the sowing of Wheat: By W. Watson, M. D. F. R. S. p. 203. XXXII. Of the Theory of circulating Decimal Fractions: By John Robertson, Lib. R. S. p. 207. XXXIII. A Letter from Mr. J. R. Forster, F. A. S. to M. Maty, M. D. Sec. R. S. containing some Account of a new Map of the River Volga. p. 214. XXXIV. An Account of the Lymphatic System in Birds, by Mr. William Hewson, Reader in Anatomy: In a Letter to William Hunter, M. D. F. R. S. and by him communicated to the Society. p. 217. Vol. LVIII. b XXXV. A XXXV. A Catalogue of the Fifty Plants from Chelsea Garden, presented to the Royal Society by the Worshipful Company of Apothecaries, for the Year 1767, pursuant to the Direction of Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. Med. Reg. et Soc. Reg. super Praes: By William Hudson, Societatis Regiae & clariss. Societatis Pharmaceut. Lond. Soc. Hort. Chelsean. Praefectus et Praelector Botan. p. 227. XXXVI. Interpretation of the Inscription on a Punic Coin, struck in the Isle of Gozo, never hitherto explained. In a Letter to Charles Morton, M. D. Sec. R. S. from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. F. R. S. Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxford, Member of the Academy degli Apatisti at Florence, and of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona in Tuscany. p. 235. XXXVII. Elucidation of an Etruscan Coin of Poestum, in Lucania, emitted from the Mint there, about the Time of the Social War. In a Letter to Charles Morton, M. D. Sec. R. S. from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. F. R. S. Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxford, Member of the Academy degli Apatisti at Florence, and of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona in Tuscany. p. 246. XXXVIII. Remarks upon a Denarius of the Veturian Family, with an Etruscan Inscription on the Reverse, never before published. In a Letter to M. Maty, M. D. Sec. R. S. from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. F. R. S. Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxford, Member of the Academy degli Apatisti at Florence, and of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona in Tuscany. p. 253. XXXIX. De- XXXIX. Description of a Punic Coin, appertaining to the Isle of Gozo, hitherto attributed to that of Malta by the Learned. In a Letter to Mathew Maty, M.D. Sec. R.S. from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. F. R. S. Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxford, Member of the Academy degli Apatisti at Florence, and of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona in Tuscany. p. 261. XL. Observations on an inedited Coin, adorned with two Punic Characters on the Reverse. In a Letter to Mathew Maty, M.D. Sec. R.S. from the Rev. John Swinton, B. D. F. R. S. Custos Archivorum of the University of Oxford, Member of the Academy degli Apatisti at Florence, and of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona in Tuscany. p. 265. XLI. Introduction to the following Observations, made by Messieurs Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, for determining the Length of a Degree of Latitude, in the Provinces of Maryland and Pennsylvania, in North America; by the Reverend Nevil Maskelyne, B. D. F. R. S. Astronomer Royal. p. 270. XLII. Observations for determining the Length of a Degree of Latitude, in the Provinces of Maryland and Pennsylvania, in North America: By Messieurs Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. p. 274. XLIII. Astronomical Observations, made in the Forks of the River Brandiwine in Pennsylvania, for determining the going of a Clock sent thither by the Royal Society, in order to find the Difference of Gravity between the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, and the Place where the Clock was set up in Pennsylvania: To which are added, an Observation of the End of an Eclipse of the Moon, and some Immer- CONTENTS. Immersions of Jupiter's First Satellite observed at the same Place in Pennsylvania: By Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. p. 326. XLIV. Extract of a Letter from Rome to M. Maty, M. D. Sec. R. S. on the extraordinary Heats observed there this last Summer. p. 336. XLV. An easy Method of making a Phosphorus, that will imbibe and emit Light, like the Bolognian Stone; with Experiments and Observations: By John Canton, M. A. and F. R. S. p. 337. XLVI. Astronomical Observations made at Swetzingen, in the Years 1767 and 1768; extracted from several Letters written to Charles Morton, M. D. Sec. R. S. and one to the late Earl of Morton. By Father Christian Mayer, F. R. S. Astronomer to the Elector Palatine. 345 XLVII. Observations of the Transit of Venus over the Sun, and the Eclipse of the Sun on June 3, 1769, made at the Royal Observatory. By the Rev. Nevil Maskelyne, B. D. F. R. S. and Astronomer Royal. p. 355. PHILO.